A lot of people around where I live eat stuffed peppers. I did not grow up eating them this way, but my husband did so I’ve used this recipe a number of times for him.
I already pickled a ton of banana peppers from last year, so I didn’t grow any this year. My garden space is limited. So I went out to buy some….Little did I know that I was buying hot peppers! After cutting off the tops, I must have touched my mouth because my lip felt like it was going to burn off. I used to eat the hottest of foods, but I discovered that when you don’t eat spicy food for a while, you tend to become soft. So instead of stuffing peppers for the entire family, I made enough for my husband and I. I balled the rest of the meat into meatballs and cooked them up for the children. One of them eats hot foods, but the others would think I was killing them. Even though they were hotter than I intended, they still ended up delicious!
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup Parmesan or Romano cheese
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 1-2 garlic cloves, depending on taste (or 1 tsp garlic powder if you don't have fresh)
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- salt to taste
- 6-8 large banana peppers
- Homemade Marinara sauce
- Mix everything but the peppers and marinara sauce in a large bowl. I put a couple of slices of homemade bread into a food processor to make the bread crumbs.
- Cut off the tops of the banana peppers, cut out seeds (you should be able to pull them out in one big chunk), and gently push mixture into the peppers.
- I like to brown them in a skillet slightly before putting them into the oven. I think it brings out the flavor, but you can skip this part if you just want to throw them into the oven.
- Place them in a glass dish, pour 1-2 cups of marinara sauce over them, grate some more mozzarella on top, and cover with foil. Put in a 375F degree oven for 20-30 minutes.
Stuffed Banana Peppers Step by Step with Pictures:
Mix everything but the peppers and marinara sauce in a large bowl. I put a couple of slices of homemade bread into a food processor to make the bread crumbs.
Cut off the tops of the banana peppers, cut out seeds (you should be able to pull them out in one big chunk), and gently push mixture into the peppers.
I like to brown them in a skillet slightly before putting them into the oven. I think it brings out the flavor, but you can skip this part if you just want to throw them into the oven.
Place them in a glass dish, pour 1-2 cups of marinara sauce over them, grate some more mozzarella on top, and cover with foil. Put in a 375F degree oven for 20-30 minutes. The meat at the front is at its thickest. When it is done, you can be sure that the meat further in is done as well.
I served this with rotini pasta and extra sauce, but you could serve it with a salad, rice, whatever sounds good.
I know this is a big tradition in some families. How do you make it differently? I’d love to know.
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